1 Kings 19: 1-6 / Luke 4:24-25 The Zarephath Significance

Luke 4:24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

As we journey with Elijah who ran for his life after coming down from Mount Carmel in the heavy rain, he arrived at Beersheba. Like the widow at Zarephath, he wanted to die. Supernaturally and incredibly, he was provided with not only a cake, but a cake that was baked over hot coals and not only water, but a jar of water!

Looking back at the supernatural provision events:-

1. Cherith /Hebrew: Kerīth -"a cutting, separation, gorge, torrent-bed, or winter-stream"; Greek: is a "brook", in whose banks Elijah first hid himself during the early part of the three years' drought [Elijah was fed by ravens]

2. Zarephath (Sarepta)-" smelter, forge or metalworking" : Why of all the widows, Elijah had to be sent to this particular widow in this place called Zarephath? In 1 Kings 17:9 " I have commanded a window in that place to supply you with food"

I believe that all of His children go through seasons of testings in life. Just as we become a child of God when we repent of our sins and invited Him to be our Lord and Saviour, we are 'cut off' and 'separated' and 'set apart' @ Cherith. This is the beginning of our journey with Him. He is the source of the living water. We drink from this brook and we will never thirst again.

The next is the Zarephath testing:

Smelting is a form of metal extraction; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. Smelting involves more than just "melting the metal out of its ore". Most ores are a chemical compound of the metal with other elements, such as oxygen (as an oxide) or sulfur (as a sulfide). To produce the metal, these compounds have to undergo a chemical reaction with a source of carbon, usually in a wood- or coal-burning furnace. Smelting therefore consists of using suitable reducing that will combine with those oxidizing elements to free the metal. Most ores are not pure, so that a flux (such as lime) must be added to react with the impurities and carry them off in a slag.

Forging is the process of shaping metal by localized compressive forces. A forge is the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith. Usually a forge is essentially a hearth or fireplace designed to allow a fire to be controlled such that metal introduced to the fire may be brought to a malleable state or to bring about other metallurgical effects (hardening, annealing, and drawing temper as examples). The forge fire in this type of forge is controlled in three ways: 1) amount of air, 2) volume of fuel, and 3) shape of the fuel/fire.

Proverbs 17:3 "The crucible for the silver and the furnace for the gold, but the LORD tests the heart"

Why the Zarephath widow?

• Well, she was the blesser to Elijah: she fed Elijah with all the little of flour and oil she had left.
• She was a recipient of a blessing from Elijah : She witnessed the miracle of seeing her own son raised from the dead on top of the endless supplies of the food

The Zarephath Significance

Do we want to be a witness of such miracles in our lives? Want to see God?
If so , are we prepared to be smelted and forged @ Zarephath?
Matt 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God"

There were many widows and man with leprosy during the time of Elijah. Yet, the Lord only selected the widow @ Zarephath and Namaan the Syrian.
We are all like the ores. Full of impurities. Of not much use until the metal is extracted from the ores.

At Cherith, Jesus becomes our change agent.

At Zarephath, Jesus becomes the tester of our heart.

May we be like James 5:12" Blessed is the man who perserves under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who loved him"

Thanks to Michael who highlighted the meaning of Cherith and Zarepath in my earlier blog in 1 Kings 17 : knowing hearing and obeying God. It is called "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Prov27:17